Boris Diaw, the Frenchiest Dude in the NBA, Is Down to Go to Mars

A chat with the NBA/literal journeyman about the one thing he regrets not eating in the Philippines and what Tim Duncan would be if he were an animal.

After he was traded to the Jazz this offseason, Boris Diaw decided to drive from San Antonio to Utah and check out a few national parks on the trip. Which wouldn’t be that strange, except the NBA journeyman decided to bring his espresso machine with him. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Diaw, who at age 34 and entering his 14th season in the league, might be the NBA’s version of the most interesting man in the world. This summer, for example, he spent some time in the Philippines, learning about the country's love of basketball and eating his way through cities like Manila...

GQ: You enjoy the food there?

Food was great. There was one thing I wanted to try that I didn’t get a chance to. It’s called the balut. I saw Andrew Zimmern eat it on The Travel Channel and said I’ve got to try it. It’s a duck egg that’s already turned into a fetus. There’s different stages, a beginner level, an expert level, and an in-between. So the beginner level is more like an egg. They boil it, it’s like a hard egg. They say when you eat it at expert level, it’s a bit of yolk, but mostly you’re eating a baby duck. The hardest part is eating the beak. I wanted to try it but I didn’t so I have to go back. I think I will try the beginner level first though.

Is there anything else you still want to try that you haven’t?

There’s a few. I love the underwater world. Last summer I went into a submarine and we went 300 meters deep. I also like the world out of this world. Space is a new hobby that I want to explore. I love watching documentaries on that.

You must be excited that going into space and maybe even living on Mars seems like a realistic possibility in your lifetime at this point.

For sure. I’m not kidding when I say it. I want to go to space. I would try to do it if it’s possible and I think it will be in my lifetime. Mars, I don’t know if that’s going to be possible. They’re probably going to send some professional astronauts there first. I heard it might be a one way mission.

If it is, would you consider living on Mars?

Definitely. I would do the one way trip. 100 percent. If they were looking for candidates, I would definitely apply for it. Just even going to space for a few days and then coming back down would be cool. I think that’s something that’s already possible for civilians, it’s just very, very expensive but maybe the price might go down.

So there’s intelligent life out there, you think?

There’s life. Now, is it just living cells? Or maybe just fish? There’s not just life on one planet, there’s life on a lot of different places. It might just be a couple worms living on one planet, and then another planet there might be a civilization that’s already ahead of us. There’s definitely something out there.

Changing gears, how did you find out about the trade from San Antonio to Utah?

It was while I was in Philippines, actually. I had read the Spurs were looking to get Pau Gasol, so if they did, they would have to make some room for him, which meant I was probably going to get traded. I knew I was going to be traded, I just didn’t know to where for a week.

Did you get a chance to talk to Pop?

Yeah, for sure. After the trade was done, he called me and said he was going to miss me, and that it was part of the job.

And then you took your espresso machine around, even to the Grand Canyon National Park.

I drove from San Antonio to Utah. I thought it would be a cool road trip. I stopped by some national parks along the way. I had a plug in my car, so I decided to just take the machine and have an espresso everywhere.

I read that one of your hobbies is wine. You and Pop must have talked about wine a lot.

Definitely. He likes some of the Bordeaux and I’m from Bordeaux so we’d talk about that a lot.

Who’s more well-versed in wine?

Difficult to say. I probably know more about Bordeaux but he knows more than me worldwide.

And you’re working on really getting into the field now.

I’m partnering with winemakers on two different levels. I’m working with companies in France to import wine into the U.S. where I’m trying to make a selection of wines that have good ratio, a good price and great taste. I’m also working with a winemaker to make my own wine right now.

Another hobby of yours is directing. You spent All-Star break this year directing a short film called Easy Life starring Cedric the Entertainment. Is that something you would consider as a career after you retire?

I got a lot of plans about I retire [laughs]. There’s a lot of things I want to do. Directing is one of them for sure. I just started by doing a short film because it was the only thing I had time to do since I’m a full-time professional athlete. I was really happy with the way it went and it was a great experience.

Who are some actors and films you are inspired by?

I like Denis Villeneuve. Sicario is one of my favorite recent movies. I like Guy Ritchie and movies like Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. I like Quentin Tarantino too. I like all different kinds of style.

Someone you would like to work with?

I like Emmy Rossum from Shameless. I really like her so that’s a woman I would love to work with in a movie.

You’re also into photography. I just want you to know you have mastered the art of the selfie on your Instagram feed.

Some fans like my Instagram for sure. But it’s not about me. It’s not about having my face up. It’s about the background and what’s behind me. That’s what I’m trying to get in those pictures. I just put my face in there to say, hey I’m there.

Last question. I know at the world championships a few years ago, you worked with a French Magazine L’Equipe to preview the national team and compared players on the France roster to animals you photographed in the safari. So let me give you a few names and I want their safari animal comparison...

Manu.

Manu is a leopard. It’s agile, like the way he moves on the court. It’s a very smart animal that ambushes pretty, and is very low key.

Pop.

[laughs] I got a picture that would look great for comparing Pop. You know the old monkey, the one that’s very smart, and is just sitting down. I got a picture of it that would be great for Pop.

Tim Duncan.

Timmy would be the elephant. Not physically, but more the mindset. Everybody says the lion is the king of the jungle. But I remember watching an elephant walk by one time, and there was a lion there lying on the ground, and the elephant just kept walking and the lion got out of his way. That’s the respect the elephant gets. It’s just quiet, it’s never stressed out, it’s always chilling, because he knows how good he is.

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